Laboratory Science (Biology) Degree Apprentice Review
at GSK
Degree Apprenticeship
Pharmaceutical, Research, Science
Stevenage
Review Submitted: April 2026
Overall Rating
2.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
1.5/5
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Overview of Role
3/5
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Skills Development
2.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
2/5
At the start of the programme, my role was very biology-focused and heavily aligned with my university studies. Learning key principles and techniques was interesting and I felt that I had a good amount of work to do, lots of support from my colleagues and a good mixture of lab and office work. However, as restructuring of the department has occurred along with several redundancies, my job role has become much less focused. I am doing far less biology, resulting in a decline of my scientific knowledge.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
1/5
Unfortunately, I am no longer enjoying this programme to the point where I am counting down the months until it ends. When I have given feedback on the absence of rotations for apprentices, the company has been extremely rigid and will not defer from their normal ways of working. This has resulted in very limited opportunity for development on this programme; once selected, you are put into a random department - where little consideration is made into its suitability to develop competent scientists - and you remain there for four years, meaning that your knowledge is heavily focused in one small area. This structure also does not align well with the very fluid levels of work received, often having far too little or too much to do.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
I have definitely learnt some very important new skills that will be transferrable in other roles and I am grateful that I have been able to put certain techniques into practice, which may not have been possible at university. However, I struggle to understand the techniques used in other departments due to a lack of exposure to other roles. This is a common feeling among many apprentices at the company. Therefore, I still feel that I have a gap in some skills, which could be filled by the opportunity to rotate between groups.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
1/5
The lack of rotations make this a very poorly-structured programme as it is highly dependent on the opportunities one singular team can offer you. The fact that I feel like my scientific knowledge has declined throughout my apprenticeship is indicative of how this programme progresses.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
1/5
The level of support received has been extremely variable over my apprenticeship. I received a lot of support when I struggled with my commute and housing, and appropriate adjustments were made. However, when having to take an extended amount of time off more recently due to the negative effect the workplace was having on my mental health, the emails and messages I received were not supportive nor professional. The fact that I was even having to engage with work emails and Teams calls while on leave is unacceptable. The stress of this also caused me to develop further illness. Having to come back to the very intrusive 'return-to-work' form has made me scared to take another sick day.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
Despite a few small issues with communication and feedback, Manchester Metropolitan University run a very well-structured course and I feel that this is the area of the programme where I develop most of my scientific knowledge.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
My qualification has definitely helped me to understand the work I am doing at GSK far better, which has allowed me to become a better problem-solver in the rare opportunities I get to do biology at work. It would be nice if the qualification allowed more chances for students to choose their own modules, but overall I am happy with this area of the programme.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
There are lots of opportunities to get involved in. In the first two years of my apprenticeship, I was part of the STEM committee; the apprentice and department social committees; and the badminton club. Unfortunately, the lack of support from my employer when I was unwell knocked my confidence, so I have had to take a step back from these extra-curricular activities to solely focus on getting through the work day.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend GSK to a friend?
No
Why?
I think this apprenticeship programme and the company's attitude towards its early talent needs a lot of improvement.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to GSK?
I would advise prospective applicants to research the company culture thoroughly before applying and make sure you know and understand how this programme runs. I do advocate for apprenticeships and am grateful for the financial benefits that this opportunity has offered me, but I would not recommend pursuing this route at GSK.
